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Songdo Canal Walk

The kilometer-long Songdo Canal Walk is a dynamically textured mixed-use destination that stitches together the business and residential neighborhoods of the KPF master planned Songdo International Business District.

This vital urban center is located along a stretch of a man-made canal running through the heart of the Songdo IBD. The project spans five consecutive blocks from the Central Park to the river. The blocks contain five-story buildings with glass storefront retail units occupying the ground and second levels, and townhouse-style, luxury "office-tel" units—offices with residential features like a hotel—on the third, fourth, and fifth floors. The project culminates in a public park.

The glass-fronted retail spaces comprise a fitness club, bookstore, general stores, and high-end restaurants. The facilities are accessible from the street as well as the canal, which is protected from traffic and noise to create a tranquil pedestrian route. Planting and a decked wooden promenade line the canal, enhancing the urban texture.

The units act as stepping stones between important sites throughout the city, including the high-rise residential zone in the south, a commercial zone and hospital in the north, sports fields and public schools in the east, and Central Park in the west. A sophisticated exterior design features wood louvers and metal screens, installed onto a base wall filled with pre-cast concrete panels and floor-to-ceiling-height windows. The two materials are woven throughout entire site to create a variation of elevation.